Get That Content

GET THAT CONTENT

In a world where content is king, you should want the best of it. The content team at Matte Black is sharing alternative ways for you and your brand to source content when you might not have the budget or resources to create it yourself.

Stock Images

Fortunately, in 2017, you don't have to get cheesy with your stock image needs. Freemium options like Death to the Stock Photo and affordable options like Stocksy offer well-produced and authentic content. I especially love that Stocksy allows me to dig through a specific photographers work to find whatever I'm looking for that fits the aesthetic. Gives it more of a personal and authorial touch.

Influencers

A really great way to get beautifully curated content that fits your creative is to find up-and-coming influencers and have them create content for you. Not only do you get to use their creative direction (make sure it aligns with yours) but if they have under 5K followers, they'll most likely work on product for trade and get you 3-5 images to use across social at your leisure. Find the perfect influencers in the Shape Shift Report's Top 40 Micro-Influencers.

Amateur Freelancers

Amateur, or up and coming, is a key word here in ways to source content for your brand in a way that doesn't require a ton of budget. Finding talented people on Instagram isn't hard; the hardest part of this will be contacting them, since not everyone makes their contact information available public. This is where you can throw them a DM and tell them you'll tag them on your account in exchange for their permission to use their imagery. The social exposure alone is good for any freelancer, while you're getting rights to content to redistribute for paid, social or web. See the Shape Shift Report's List of Creative Freelancers in The Resolution Issue.

Tools

Really want to keep the control in your own hands and shoot on your iPhone? Grab the Moment Lens or Ollo Clip Lenses to make your photos that much better. Definitely worth the small investment. Another pro tip - a tripod and bluetooth remote for your phone goes a long way into speeding up the content process.

USER GENERATED CONTENT

Instagram has recently made it easier than ever to save other people's content. When on someone's image, you can hit the little flag icon on the bottom right and it will automatically be added to a repository of your "saved" content. This is a great way to collect what we like to call "user-generated content" - images that inspire your brand and compliment your social feed. But! Don't forget to give credit where credit is due, so other's don't get mad you're using their content without giving them props.